Meridian Magazine : : Print

Leadership for Saints, Part 30: Building a Coalition
by Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar

In the previous parts we introduced the first of six steps to helping people walk comfortably down the road of Christian service. Step 1 is Validate the Journey – making a case for the change, and showing people the relevance to them personally. Step 2 is Scan for Speed Bumps – assessing the “history of implementation” and identifying the possible points of resistance. Step 3 is Chart the Course – balancing the compliance and commitment components of the change effort.

In this part, we discuss the importance of cascading sponsorship for the change.

4—Build a Coalition. At General Conference and in other public settings, the president of the Church speaks with great power and clarity and influence. Faithful Latter-day Saints around the globe listen carefully to his message.

To ensure continuity and commitment regarding policies and programs, he wisely uses the organizational infrastructure at his disposal. He enlists the reinforcing sponsorship of the Quorum of the Twelve, the Seventy, the general auxiliary presidencies and their boards, Area Authorities, mission presidents, stake presidents and on down the line through bishops and branch presidents, home and visiting teachers, and right into the family. In irrigation terms, he makes sure the water gets to the end of the row.

This is the very model that should be followed in Church leadership at the “local” level.

One stake president was concerned by the dwindling number of young men in his stake who were making themselves eligible for full-time missionary service. In the past, as many as 50 missionaries from the stake were in the mission field at any given time. Recently, that number had shrunk to only about a dozen. The pool of Aaronic priesthood boys was still the same, so the issue was one of commitment, not demographics.

The stake president discussed the matter with his counselors. They concluded that a root cause of the situation was a drifting away from the core doctrines of sacrifice and consecration. But how do you make such lofty ideas appealing to teenaged boys who are distracted by sports, popular music and other worldly things?

You do it with lots of love, lots of concentrated teaching, lots of focus, and something called cascading sponsorship.

The stake presidency first engaged the stake council. The group immediately caught the spirit of the matter, and their discussions were animated and enthusiastic. The primary symptom was clear: fewer and fewer young men were choosing to serve missions. At age 12, most of them were excited and teachable deacons, eager to serve the Lord. Seven years later, many of them seemed to regard priesthood service as “a drag” and were more interested in less eternal pursuits.

The stake president asked the council to address root causes and solutions, not just the symptoms. A plan was developed, and every individual on the stake council had a role in its implementation.

The stake presidency worked with the bishops, emphasizing their role in shepherding the Aaronic priesthood through the challenging teen years, with a major focus on teaching the doctrines of sacrifice and consecration.

High councilors worked with Melchizedek priesthood leaders, emphasizing their role in teaching fathers the skills of righteous leadership in the home.

The stake Relief Society worked with ward Relief Society leaders, emphasizing their role in strengthening the mothers of Zion and admonishing them to teach faith and obedience to their children.

Stake Young Men and Young Women leaders worked with local youth leaders to ensure that weekly activities as well as special programs such as community clean-up days appropriately emphasized the principles of sacrifice and service.

Stake Primary leaders worked with their local counterparts to ensure that the hearts and minds of young children were prepared for what they would learn and experience in the Young Men and Young Women programs.

Stake missionaries collaborated with ward leaders to ensure that young men and young women had frequent opportunity to go on team-ups with the full-time missionaries.

Every Aaronic priesthood boy was assigned as a junior companion to a carefully selected home teacher who would serve as his mentor.

Activities people worked to ensure that every stake and ward activity had a service component.

Stake clerks worked with ward clerks to make best use of member information systems, ensuring that no baptized member could accidentally “fall through the cracks.”

You get the idea. All the “infrastructure” at the stake president’s disposal was brought to bear on the issue of missionary service.

If the stake president had simply “announced” a solution, it likely would have disappeared into a black hole. This is not to suggest that Latter-day Saints don’t listen to their leaders. It is simply to acknowledge the reality of how leadership and communication work.

Leadership is in a way like electrical circuitry. Over a period of time, the stake president wanted to “turn on a light” in the hearts and souls of young men. If he had simply “flipped the switch,” ignoring the leadership circuitry between him and the young men (bishops, scout leaders, parents and many others) his leadership would have been short circuited and the light would have shown only briefly before flickering out.

Invest the time to build a coalition. Constantly engage in CPR (Converse—Practice—Reinforce). Create a sort of “key role map.” Make sure everyone on your team understands the linkage between his or her responsibility and the success of the mission. Be clear about what you expect from others. Encourage them constantly. Coach them. Teach them. Listen to them. You and they will delight in the result.

(Oh, yes ? four years after it increased its focus, the stake described here had more than five dozen missionaries in the field. In fact, the vision was contagious. Even missionary couples from the stake were serving in greater numbers than ever.)

Quotes to Remember

So we are one, my beloved brothers and sisters, united in this cause and in the glory of Him who has sent us forth on His errand. – Russell M. Nelson

Can you see the potential power of the priesthood and auxiliaries working together to systematically reach out to families and individuals? I believe that the answers to the activity problems facing our wards and stakes can be found in the priesthood and auxiliary councils. – M. Russell Ballard

Note: The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To learn more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies, click here.